


Chance Encounter

by deutschtard



Series: The Dancer and the Doctor [2]
Category: Hannibal (TV), Hannibal Lecter Series - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Good flipping lord, M/M, Other, Still going with this, Stripper AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-28
Updated: 2013-06-28
Packaged: 2017-12-16 11:33:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/861515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deutschtard/pseuds/deutschtard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just as Will is thinking about maybe taking Alana's advice and meeting the Doctor in a public place, the choice is taken away from him as he, quite literally, runs into him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chance Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> I cannot believe I'm STILL writing this. It's still got a ways to go, too. Like. Honestly, I have a lot plotted out for this. Mystery, intrigue, murder, even! (Don't worry Will's not going to die that I know of.)  
> Songs used: "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga and "Bring me to Life" by Evanescence.

      Will didn't have class Mondays, he probably wouldn't have gone anyway, there was too much to think about. The Doctor's offer was really good. Too good, really. Alana was at least partially right, for what the Doctor was asking, there had to be some sort of hitch. There was no way he was just asking him to be a private dancer at the expense of paying for his college bills. That was...it left a pit in his stomach to think about.

      The sun was up, the dogs needed to be walked and fed, and Will needed some food. Of course, he hadn't gotten himself anything on the way home last night, and the only thing in the fridge was some mustard and a cheap bottle of wine his friend had given him on his birthday last year. "Great," he said to himself, watching the dogs as they happily ate their bowls of food. 

      After a few more minutes of searching the cupboards, Will got dressed and drove into town. Instead of grocery shopping, he stopped at a coffee shop near the U district, they always had great paninis. It wasn't cold, but Will had on a green army jacket, hands shoved in his pockets as he huddled into the line. He was so focused on giving his order, he didn't see the man queue up behind him. Will never looked at the people who stood in line, that was too much interaction.

      He didn't see the man stand close enough to him that he almost knocked him over after paying. "Oh, crap! I'm sorry, I --"

      The Doctor was staring at him with a smile, "It's quite all right, Will," he straightened his dark pinstriped jacket and carefully kept his hands away from Will, not wanting to frighten him.

     "D-Doctor," he said, eyes darting around. He shouldn't be so anxious, but Alana wasn't here, no one he really knew was here, and all he could think about was the fact that this man could want to take him home and kill him. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't see you there. I just...what are you doing here?"

     "Getting coffee," he said, "go, sit. We'll talk after I've ordered."

      Will did as he was told, curling his arms around himself protectively, making sure his back was to the wall so no one could sneak up on him. He chose a table in view of the counter so as many people could see him and the doctor as possible, disallowing for any spontaneous kidnapping ideas the Doctor might be harboring.

      He jumped when the Doctor sat down, not having seen him walk up. He was too deep within his own head, listening to the possible scenarios and outcomes of this meeting. This felt too strange to be coincidence. "So," Will chanced, paranoia giving way to tactlessness, "Are you following me, Doctor?"

      The Doctor's eyebrow raised as he threaded his fingers together, "No, Will, I am not following you. My office is not too far out of the way, and I often stop here before opening for the morning," he cocked his head, "Why would I have been following you?"

     "Well," Will was suddenly even more self-conscious, second-guessing every word, "I, ah, I guess it's stupid, I'm sorry."

     "If you felt in earnest that I was following you, it was not stupid. Are you worried about the strings attached to my offer?"

      Will nodded a bit, thanking the waiter who came with his food and their coffee, "I just...it seems too good to be true. I don't know anything about you, either. I mean, I know you're a doctor. I don't even know your first name..." he trailed off, taking a bite of the sandwich before his stomach began to eat itself.

      The Doctor sipped his coffee, "Hannibal," he said simply, tongue flitting out to lick his lower lip, "I did not think that, at the club, you would want to know more than what to call me. My name is Dr. Hannibal Lecter."

     "Dr. Hannibal Lecter," Will repeated softly, testing it out on his tongue, the angles of the name feeling foreign, but comforting, "Hannibal." The annoying pop music on the radio in the cafe was drowning out the other people talking, it felt like it was only he and the doctor there, his body still on alert, ready to defend himself if necessary. "Why do you, eh," he swallowed, not wanting to talk with his mouth full, "why do you want me to be your private dancer so badly? I'm not worth that much money."

      The look on Dr. Lecter's face was almost disappointed, "Will," he said, quietly, "you mustn't think so little of yourself."

     "But...I'm just a dancer. I'm not even that good. I'm nothing special," he said, shoving more sandwich in his mouth.

     "You are much more than 'just a dancer', Will."

      He snorted, "How do you know? You don't even know me outside of the club."

     "I know that you don't have ties to any family to speak of, and that you own dogs. You care for them, despite your hectic schedule. You like privacy, which is why you chose to live outside of the city."

      Will's eyes widened over his coffee, wary "If you're trying to make me trust you more, you've just done the opposite. How do you know that." It wasn't phrased as a question, and Will scooted back against the wall even further.

      The Doctor's eyes fell, "My apologies. Your jacket, it's covered in dog fur," he said, "you smell of the countryside. I have a very sensitive sense of smell. I did not mean to alarm you," he leaned back and relaxed to allow Will to think he was in control of this conversation.

      He didn't move for a moment, except to look at his jacket. Alana could be right, he could have a stalker, this guy could want to do horrible things to him. Or he could be telling the truth. His jacket _was_ covered in fur. He'd have to keep it somewhere where Winston couldn't pull it off the hook and sleep on it. "I-I'm sorry. Just...you've got to be careful when you work where I do. People who come into the club..." Will hesitated, "there've been rapes."

      Dr. Lecter's eyes focused on Will intently, "I realize that you don't trust me at this juncture in our...relationship, Will," he said, face somber, "but I would never dream of taking advantage of you like that."

      They both sat in silence for a few minutes, Will finishing his sandwich, the Doctor letting him. Will took a deep breath and stared at the crumbs on his plate, counting them (there were 72) and dividing the number by different integers to center himself. "Say I agree to your offer," he said, finally, not looking up, "I'm not going to drop everything to work for you."

     "I'm aware. I didn't expect you to," he responded.

     "I could work for you once a week, trial basis."

      The Doctor smiled, just for the barest of moments, "How does those words feel, Will? 'Work for me?' cheap and bitter, hm?" he said, tilting his head as he always did, "I wouldn't be in charge of you. You would have a freedom to choose what you did or did not do. My only requirement is that you would dance in my home for me, and only me. Whatever you did not feel comfortable with, I would not force upon you."

      Will hesitated, chancing a look in Dr. Lecter's eyes, which were warm, he had to fight the urge to let himself stare for too long, "Okay. Once a week. I don't stop working at FBI, and," he paused, "and the first week or two, we meet at a hotel. I don't feel comfortable going to your house alone yet."

      His smile widened as he leaned in, just a bit, "That's fine, Will. I understand. What days don't you work? Other than today," he said, letting his smile fade.

     "I, uh. Today and Wednesday."

       The Doctor nodded, "Wednesday would be all right with me. I'll book a room at the Royal Sonesta, in the harbor. Is that all right?"

       Will's eyes got wide, but he gave only a hesitant nod in response, watching Dr. Lecter's hands as he idly fiddled with the stirrer on his plate, moving the crumbs around. 

       The Doctor stood up, pinstripes straightening, the cut of his suit and the countenance he held making him look eight feet tall, "Thank you, Will. I'll see you tomorrow night at the club. Save a dance for me," he said with a smirk. He was gone before Will could respond.

      Having organized the crumbs into a neat pile, he looked down and held his breath. "Shit," he said, letting out a puff of air, crumbs scattering all over.

*  *  *  *

     "You can't be fucking serious. _Will_ , what is wrong with you?" Alana's voice sounded enraged on the phone as he still sat in the coffee shop. He could hear her grabbing her keys in the background and slamming the door, "Stay there. Stay there I'm coming."

     "Alana, I'm fine I don--"

     "No, shut up, Will. Dammit. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

      Will stared at his phone and sighed, opening his notebook to write as he waited for his irate friend to show up.

     Before too long, Will hadn't been counting, there she was, rushing in with a wind of exasperation, the tenseness affecting the entire room. "Will tell me everything that happened," she said, checking him over as though she feared the Doctor had drugged him secretly.

    "Alana. _Alana_ , calm down. You're worrying the customers," he said, pointing with his chin at the pairs of eyes on them both. 

      She stopped, folding her arms and leaning back in the chair, "Fine. But explain."

      Will shrugged, "I don't know...He was just _here_ , and--"

     "He followed you, I--"

     "No," he interrupted her interruption, "That was the first thing I asked. His office isn't far from here. He stops here a lot."

      Alana frowned, "How do you know that?"

      The cell phone was all but shoved into her face, the yellow pages app pulled up. In big letters, it read "DR. HANNIBAL LECTER, 687 Bayshore ave, Suite 200, Baltimore, MD, 21161."

     "Okay. Fine. His office is close. What a weird name."

     "He's foreign. I think he's Russian maybe."

     "That...isn't a Russian name, Lecterov maybe," she said, letting out a snort.

      Will laughed, "You're just trying to find something wrong with him now."

     "Will, this whole thing skeezes me out. I'm allowed to try to make him sound like a horrible person in order to keep my friend from ending up on the front page as a missing person," she reached out and took Will's hand, and he only flinched minimally.

     "I know, I know. I get it," he paused, "are you gonna let me explain everything else, then?" he gave her hand a squeeze, "Order a coffee, I have a feeling you need one."

*  *  *  *

_I want your horror, I want your design_

_'Cause you're a criminal as long as you're mine_

_I want your love_

_Love, love, love, I want your love_

 

      Dr. Lecter had showed up before Will had gone on stage Tuesday night, taking the seat right at center stage as he danced. Even though the seats were filled, Will felt like this was already a private dance, the rest of the world melted away and his vision tunneled until all he could see was the Doctor sitting there, the faintest smile as he worked the pole, twirling around like a perverse version of an athlete, muscles flexing, sweat beading on his forehead. 

      His dance came to a crescendo, and his final move was a slow twirl on the pole, ending in the splits. Will panted a bit, much more tired than he had been the last time he was on stage, this dance much more complex and physically demanding. 

      As he stood and walked off stage, Will saw Dr. Lecter walking back to the private dance room. He nodded at the man before going behind the curtain. As he walked the room, Will didn't interact, he kept to the sides of the room, not wanting to keep the Doctor waiting. Alana gave him a pointed look from the bar, and he held his hands out, hopefully pacifying her.

     "Good evening, Will," Dr. Lecter said, sitting on the couch. He'd taken his jacket off, matching waistcoat cutting an impressive figure against the dark fabric of he couch.

     "Dr. Lecter," he said, a small smile, "I-I'm sorry if I'm a little sweaty tonight..."

      The Doctor held up his hand, silencing Will, "Your dance tonight was strenuous, I would be surprised if you hadn't sweat."

     "I tried to clean myself up a bit...but I didn't shower, I didn't want to keep you waiting."

      He smiled, "I would have waited."

 

_How can you see into my eyes like open doors_

_Leading you down into my core_

_where I've become so numb, without a soul_

_My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold_

_Until you find it there and lead it back home_

 

       The song started, and Will smiled back as he closed his eyes and let the music wash over him before beginning his dance for the Doctor, his hands on his torso sending a shiver through his body that he tried to ignore. 

     "Thank you, Will," he said, letting him dance, "for the trial basis. You did not have to say yes."

      Will looked down at him, back arching towards him, "I didn't have enough reason to say no," he got a bit of a wicked smirk on his face for just a second as he danced, having just gotten an idea, "I'm going to order room service before I dance. We'll have dinner together," he said, still not looking the Doctor in the eyes.

      Dr. Lecter's lips curled into a grin, "I'm looking forward to it."

     Will didn't say it out loud, but, despite the fear still gripping him about tomorrow night, he was looking forward to it, too.


End file.
